Three-star athlete recruit Devin Holiday hasn't made it a secret that he liked what Arizona had to offer. The San Marcos (Calif.) Mission Hills prospect even came close to committing on his unofficial visit to Tucson earlier this month.

Thursday night the 5-foot-10 recruit capped off a big day for Rich Rodriguez's program by committing to the Wildcats.

"Everything went great," Holiday told GOAZCATS.com earlier this month about his trip. "Honestly I loved it up there, I'm really excited about Arizona. The coaching staff was great, I got to meet almost every coach. And I was able to sit down and have a good, legit conversation with every coach. On my tour Shaq Richardson was there, and it was really cool to meet a player who's already playing college ball.

"And it was just a great atmosphere."

When GOAZCATS.com spoke with Holiday earlier this month at the Southern California Rivals.com Showcase, the talented defensive back stopped short of saying UA was his dream school but the Wildcats certainly had an edge in his recruitment.

"Actually growing up it was my favorite school," he said. "So that started it off, then getting the offer was surprising. And I really have a lot of interest in that school.

"I like the fact that it's close, and I know Shaq Richardson and he said he really likes it there. He's kind of like a mentor to me, so I like that."

The Aztecs recently emerged with an offer for the local recruit, but the 'Cats relationship with Holiday likely played a big part in his final decision.

"Very important, because they showed me once again when I was down there that they want me and why they're recruiting me so hard," he said earlier this month about his relationship with the UA staff. "It's always good to have coaches like those who have a lot experience coaching. I know they've got 20-plus years, almost all of them, so that's definitely great.

"I can get some great coaching that will turn me into a better player, without a doubt."

Going forward the plan will likely be for Holiday to stick on the defensive side of the ball and form a formidable cornerback tandem with previously committed three-star prospect Darius Allensworth.

The pair has talked about playing together in the past, and now both will continue their careers in Tucson.

"I met him at a camp and we just keep in touch, so we've built a friendship," Holiday said earlier this month. "We hang out quite a bit, so he's a good friend. I have thought about [playing with Allensworth] a lot and we talk about that a lot.

"We talk about recruiting a lot and that's a great friendship to have. If I do go to school with him that will be great because that's somebody I already know."

Holiday's commitment was the third of the day for UA, and it is the 17th overall in the Wildcats' 2013 class.